How Many Albums Did Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground Really Sell?

Almost every obituary for Lou Reed has cited a variation of the same quote by composer and producer Brian Eno, who said that the Velvet Underground’s 1967 debut album didn’t sell many copies, but everyone who bought one started a band.

The remark neatly sums up how Reed’s band helped trigger a post-Beatles transformation in music culture. But the quote also encapsulates two minor mysteries: How many people actually bought the first Velvet Underground record? And what’s the origin of that Brian Eno quote, which music pundits have trotted out for years to describe the delayed acclaim for the Velvets?